Combined window-railing and fire-ladder.



D. MOMO.

COMBINED WINDOW RAILING, AND FIRE LADDER.

APPLICATION TILED FEB. 19, 1912 Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

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Wifivesws gar/W Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

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D. MOMO.

COMBINED WINDOW RAILING AND FIRE LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19, 1912.

D. MOMO.

COMBINED WINDOW RAILING AND FIRE LADDER.

APPLIOATION FILED r2349, 1912.

1,072,024. Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

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DOMENICO MOMO, 0F SALUGGIA, ITALY.

COMBINED WINDOW-RAILING AND FIRE-LADDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

Application filed February 19, 1912. Serial No. 678,458.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DOMENICO MOMO, a subject of the King of Italy,residing at and Whose post-office address is Saluggia, Province ofNovara, Italy, postman, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in a Combined WVindow-Railing and F ire-Ladder, and dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an escape contrivance incase of a fire or earthquake or other disaster, when, as experience veryoften has shown, the building staircases become at once unserviceablebeing pulled down, or too crowded with the many tenants of big houses,or out of reach owing to the fall of the floor between rooms orpassages. It is therefore useful to provide in each separate flat andpreferably in a room within easy reach and fronting the street, somemeans for an immediate and easy descent of the people.

This invention has for its object to provide some suitable means forconverting the iron railing, now widely adopted in connection withwindows extending as low as the floor or near thereto to admit more airand light in the room, into a fire ladder.

This invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings.

Figure 1 is an inside front elevation of the railing in the closedposition. Fig. 2 is a cross section thereof; Fig. 3 is an outside frontelevation of the device in the opened and lowered position in the shapeof a ladder; Fig. 4 is a cross section thereof; Fig. 5 is an insideelevation of a modified form of the railing in the closed position;Figs. 6 and 7 are front and side view respectively of the railing shownin Fig. 5 in the opened and lowered position of a ladder. Fig. 8 is adetailed view of the hooking and fastening device for the ladder topaccording to the modified form of Figs. 5, 6 and 7; Fig. 9 is a planview of the ladder in its opened position; Fig. 10 is a detailed view ofthe railing joints. Figs. 11 and 12 are sections on lines wm and g zrespectively of Fig. 10; Fig. 13 is a front view of a modified form ofthe railing trellis work in the closed position. Fig. 1 1 is a similarview in the open position.

The window railing is substantially constituted by a lattice of rails 1bent to cross each other secured at its upper part to a cross bar 2either by means of two eyes or hooks 3 sliding along said bar or boltsfixed thereto. To the rails 1 are securely connected the bars 4 servingas ladder steps in the open position. The cross bar 2 slides verticallyalong two U-shaped guides 5 provided at their lower end with a stop orprojection to hold the cross bar 2 and suitably fixed to the wall (Figs.1 to i) or to the top rail 6 also of U-shaped section, this latter beingeither walled in the window jambs (Figs. 1 to i) or hinged at 7 on oneside and bolted at 8 on the other side, (Figs. 5 and 6). A rope 9,preferably of metal, having its lower end secured at 10 at the centralpart of the lowest step slides in eyes 11 provided at the central jointsof the rails 1 and passes over a grooved roller 12 carried by the toprail 6 and is wound upon a drum 13 suitably arranged in a side cavity ofone of the jambs. This rope serves as a grasping means for the peopledescending the ladder and to lift up again the ladder and restore it tothe form of a window railing, by operating the drum 13 by means of acrank 14 provided inside the room.

In the constructional form shown at Figs. 1 to l, the ladder assumes aposition parallel with the building front wall; it is thereforenecessary to lower it a certain distance from the wall in order to avoidthe building lower cornices. For this purpose I provide arms 15 hingedat their lower end to pivot pins 16 while their top end slides in shortguides 17 fixed externally to the main guides 5, these latter being forsaid purpose hinged by their upper end to the pivot pins 18.

In the modified form of Figs. 5 to 8, the ladder is lowered in aposition perpendicu lar to the front wall, the top rail (3 is disengagedfrom the jainb by taking hold of the inner knob 19, and drawing the bolt20 with spring 21 out of its hole 8, then the frame is swung out onpivots 7 and the belt forced to enter a similar hole 23 provided in thebracket 22, extending horizontally from the wall. In order to facilitatethe stop action in said two holes 8, 23, the bolt may be beveled on twosides as shown in the drawlng, but it is preferable to construct itbeveled on one side only in order to cause t to enter the hole 23immediately when being thrown against the bracket; the looking at 8 mayalways be effected by hand by means of the knob 19. Moreover in order toafiord a better support for the weight of the ladder and the peopledescending it, the bracket 22 may be provided at its outer end with ahorizontal projection 24: against which the top rail 6 rests. On saidbracket 22-1nay be placed a lamp 25. Finally in this modified form Iarrange on the upper pivot 7 of the 1, top rail 6 a grooved roller 26over which 1 passes the rope when the railing is thrown Outside.

As the weight on the steps lcould cause i the joints of the rails 1 tobend inside thus deforming the ladder and rendering difficult thedescent, it will be preferred to provide said ralls 1;.(or at least someof them at regular lntervals) for lnstance the rail 1 with an outer taill to prevent the head of the next rail 1 to become displaced toward ingand therefore the length of the ladder and also to lift again thislatter and restore it to the form of a window railing.

In all the constructional forms above described it will be convenient toarrange the grooved roller at the central part of the cross bar 2 forbending the rope in the vertical direction. I

The operation of the device will be clearly understood from the abovedescription and drawings. It will be seen that further modifications maybe made without departing from the principle of the invention, consist-7 the jambs and constructed to slide on said guides, whereby said frameand ladder may I be swung out from the house wall and locked in thisposition so that the ladder will hang freefrcm the wall when let down bysaid hoisting means. v

ihe foregoing specificatlon signed at Turin, Italy this'29th day ofJanuary, 1912.

{DOMENICO MOMO.

In presence ofl'rALo BERTOGLIO, a JooELYN GOUBEYRAN.

Gopies of this patent may -be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the -Gomn1issioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

